Ontario is proud to be growing the equestrian discipline of vaulting!
Vaulting is undeniably one of the most popular and highly viewed disciplines on the international equestrian sport stage and official FEI channels. The breathtaking, acrobatic and gravity-defying routines go viral and draw millions of views. This sport may seem to be high risk; however, it has been documented as one of the safest of all equestrian sports, and is used as a safe introduction to equestrian sports. The vaulter is not the sole person responsible for communication with the horse. as the lunger and horse work together as a team to maintain a safe environment, while the vaulter learns to control their own bodies, complete moves safely and dismount. To find a club with trained and certified vaulting coaches, check out the Vault Canada website!
Ontario is proud to be growing the equestrian discipline of vaulting! We checked in with Nation Valley Ranch, a vaulting centre based just south of Ottawa in Chesterville.
Coach Jen Byvelds runs a recreational and competitive program, with 4 talented vaulting horses, and 25 vaulters.
“It started with a drill team, believe it or not, I was coaching The Capital Cowgirls drill team, and we wanted to add some trick riding to the routines. We were told to start vaulting first before American trick riding, as it installs more safety. I was hooked as soon as we tried it. I had a dance background growing up, and vaulting was exactly that, dancing on horses. I was captivated. “
There are three types of vaulting categories, Individual, pairs (pas-de-deux), and Squads ( 6 vaulters, with up to three at a time on the horse). Jen comments how her vaulters are encouraged to try all three categories their first few years of vaulting, while they are still at the walk/trot speeds. Once the vaulters get to a higher level of canter, they usually pick their favorite and focus on that.
A club’s horses are truly the hearts of a program! Not all horses thrive as vaulting horses, and at Nation Valley we are very fortunate to have such a strong and reliable group of horses. They are the club's MVPs!
In addition to their vaulting talents, two of Nation valley’s vaulting MVP's have starred in multiple movies and tv shows on CRAVE and Hallmark/Lifetime Channels. They are the definition of unicorn horses and loved by so many. Reba, the Clydesdale mare has made it to the Spirit of the Horse ring at RAWF in both 2025 and 2024 to demo the sport of vaulting.
When asked what plans the club had this year, Jen responds; We have recently just kicked off this year's show season, with a sr. vaulter returned from a FEI show in B.C last month, while here in Ontario our club is participating in a development show series. The development show series is designed to focus on vaulter and vaulting horse development in a way that allows vaulters and horses of all levels to learn, build a strong foundation, and advance their skills. The format of these shows has the volunteers showing the first day, and then participating in a clinic the second day. We are super excited about the line up of clinicians the host clubs have booked for this year! Working with a number of different instructors brings diversity to our development and is a critical piece to growing the sport here in Ontario. In addition to the show lineup, our vaulters enjoy participating at the local fairs, doing vaulting demos. This is a huge thrill for the vaulters as they get to show off their routines and share the wonder of the sport with others. "The fairs are great for team building, since so many of the kids work together in Squads and pairs. Fairs are always a highlight of the year for the group!”
Ontario also has a provincial vaulting association, OEVA, and they host schooling shows at REACH HURON.
Each summer, Nation Valley hosts a vaulting camp for vaulters of all levels, including first time vaulters to do some additional training. Beyond vaulting, the camp includes cross-training in sports that are complementary to vaulting. Guest instructors provide training in sports such as aerials, acro dance, yoga and more. “The cross training is always just as fun as the sport itself!”
For more information about Nation Valley, follow their socials or check them out at www.nationvallyranch.com For information about vaulting in Canada, check out Vault Canada or OEVA
